The Jasmine Dragon
by Melting Angels
Summary: When Katara sees Prince Zuko in a Ba Sing Se teashop, she feels the urge to run. But…what if she didn't? What if she stayed, and saw the man that Zuko had become? (REBOOT OF FIGHTING FREE)
1. Prologue

**Summary:**

When Katara sees Prince Zuko in a Ba Sing Se teashop, she feels the urge to run. But…what if she didn't? What if she stayed, and saw the man that Zuko had become?

 **Hello reader! I'm back, with the first part of the promised reboot of 'Fighting Free'. It's been a long time coming, I know, but I am producing Zutara content again! I sincerely hope you enjoy the first chapter of this reboot!**

 _And I know you'll all be wondering whether or not Iroh will die in this reboot. I haven't decided yet, but the reaction I got last time was pretty interesting. I guess you'll all just have to wait and see- we've a ways to go yet. I know this is brief, but I wanted to get something up before the end of the week._

 **Chapter Word Count (Excluding intro):** 885

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The sun shone down brightly on the bustling city of Ba Sing Se, illuminating even the darkest corners of the city. The warmth that the light brought with it…it made even the saddest person feel a little better. With the revolution of the Avatar being in the city, things had been rather…strained. Some felt it was a good omen. Others…not so much. Many believed, and with good cause, that the attention drawn to their city would entice the Fire Nation to finally storm the capital. It was for the latter reason that the avatar and his group of friends were rarely seen roaming about the city. The reveal of the destroyed machine just outside the outer walls had only made the situation worse. Despite the fact that Appa, their beloved bison, was missing, they knew that their presence- and the fire nation attack- had shaken the city- and had so reverted to venturing out at night- when a majority of the city was asleep.

Whilst it had so far proven useful to work under the cover of darkness, _(they'd so far evaded detection)_ , they were growing weary of staying indoors. One can only stay inside for so long before they start to long for fresh air and sunlight. And so, it was that, after a tense, arguably loud discussion, between the group, that Katara and Toph had ventured out. They'd been frequenting the popular spa that they'd visited near the start of their arrival, and so felt that it was safe for them to spend some time there. Toph initially objected, but even she gave in, knowing that this meant some time outside of the home that had been gifted to them. After all, Toph couldn't see well indoors- the floor covers prevented her from being able to _'see'_ properly.

Afterwards, though, Toph had given Katara the slip. Whilst Katara had searched for Toph at first, her actions proved unfruitful, leaving the waterbender no option to explore the city alone. Had she returned home, or sought out the others- they'd have insisted that they all return home. And she didn't think she could stand being trapped in that house much longer.

Garbed in Earth Kingdom colours, she more easily blended in with the crowds- and was able to navigate the city without any confrontation. With this ease of movement, Katara was able to see the city in a way she wasn't able to before. She was able to admire everything from the vibrant colours, to the ancient, refined architecture. Ba Sing Se was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places she'd had the pleasure of visiting in her travels- even comprable to the icy walls of the Northern Watertribe.

However, she soon found the sun's heat overwhelming, and so sought out the nearest available shelter.

This shelter happened to be a structure that Katara hadn't seen before. It was a large building, seeming fairly new, with the outside elegantly painted in shades of green. The scent of carefully brewed tea wafted through the air, bringing with it a pleasant sense of refreshment. The mixture of intoxicating scents set the structure apart from the rest of the city centre.

Intrigued, Katara wandered closer, looking up when she spotted a wooden, carved sign hanging above the doorway. In intricately detailed letters, read _**'The Jasmine Dragon'.**_ From the looks of the queue coming out of the door, the Jasmine Dragon was worth the wait. And so it was that Katara joined the end of the queue. Whilst it may have seemed odd to wait in blistering heat for a mug of tea, the waterbender knew that the iced, cooled version of the normally fiery beverage was almost as refreshing as water. It made perfect sense to try the teashop out.

As she waited for her turn to enter, she heard a familiar voice, echoing above all the others in the bustling teashop. The voice was male, and rather distinctive. When she realized who the voice belonged to, she froze- for it surely couldn't be him.

He couldn't have gotten into Ba Sing Se- any firebenders would have been caught.

But then…she saw him, greeting the cheery people at the door.

Katara felt an urge to run- to go grab Aang- and leave…

But she didn't.

Something made her stay.

She watched as he engaged with the people, leading them into the bustling teashop with a wide smile that she'd never before seen on the angsty firebender. It seemed almost unnatural- the way he laughed, the way he acted so…normal. The man Katara saw before her was a far cry from the one she'd last seen. The Zuko that Katara saw now was friendly, warm…even seeming like he…cared. It was strange, so much so that Katara once more fought the urge to leave.

She took a few steps back...

Until she saw Iroh.

In their brief encounters, she had become fond of Iroh- despite his violent past, he seemed gentle, and level-headed- the counter to Zuko's wild, unpredictable nature. She'd often heard the former General try to reason with his nephew…

Had he finally gotten through to Zuko?

Or was this all a front?


	2. THANK YOU!

**Hello everyone!**

Long time no see! A few years, to be exact. Sorry about that. Life's been a bit of a roller-coaster for me over the past few years. I am back on this site because, this year, it will have been 7 years since I first joined this site! **7 years!** I joined when I was **14**...and now I'm **21**! Time certainly flies, doesn't it?

But enough about me. I'm here for all of you.

I wanted to say a proper thank you to you all, for reading my 39 fanfictions across various fandoms. Thank you for favouriting. For following. For all your lovely, amazing reviews. But most of all...

 **Thank you for reading!**

Throughout Secondary School I was terribly bullied, but found an escape in fanfiction! All of you kept up with me through hiatuses and personal problems- and I've had many a wonderful message of support.

You've all been so amazing over the years, and I wanted to thank you all. Over the years you've reviewed my stories **2,070** times, and read my stories **633,731** times! That's incredible!

I am mainly here to say that, save for _The Jasmine Dragon_ and my new fic _Sophia's Lost Days_ , all of my other stories will no longer be updated. Unfortunately, I have moved on from quite a few fandoms. That isn't to say that some won't be rebooted!

 **Possible reboots:**

 _Pretty much every main Avengers fic that I wrote- Avengers and Videogames, Avengers and Pranks, Avengers and Movies, Real Life Video Games._

So. Before I go to continue writing, I wanted to say to all of you, again...

 **THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT OVER THE PAST 7 YEARS!**


	3. Chapter 1- I Understand

**Author's Note:**

Hey everyone! It's been well over a year since I published this reboot of Fighting Free, and I'm so sorry for the long wait! I've had a crazy year, to say the least. Earlier this year I was hospitalised and almost died after doctors discovered a whole bunch of blood clots on my lungs, and I'm still recovering- though thankfully I'm at home now. I was also kind of lost as to how to continue this fic, but now I believe I can complete it. Fighting Free was 30 or so chapters so I'm hoping this will be just as successful.

 _Sorry for the long wait! I'll be rewatching the latter half of book 2 and the whole of book 3 to prepare for writing this fic. Can you guys believe its been 10 years since the Sozins Comet finale?! Crazy!_

 **This story is rated M for future descriptions of blood and violence.**

 _If you enjoy this chapter, please leave a review!_

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 **Story Stats!**

Reviews: 11.

 _Thanks for the reviews!_

Favourites: 59.

 _Thanks for the favourites!_

Follows: 84.

 _Thanks for the follows!_

Views: 2,057.

 _Thanks for the views!_

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 **Word Count:** 1,294 words!

 _It'll be longer next time! I just wanted to set up the next chapter and let you guys know I haven't given up on this fic lmao._

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Katara was so engrossed in watching Iron and Zuko interact with the customers that she almost missed her turn to step inside. Snapped out of her thoughts by the disgruntled patrons waiting behind her, the waterbender forced all worries and concerns to the back of her mind. As soon as she reached the doorway, Zuko came up to her- and it took a few moments before he realised who he was about to greet. The two stood, staring, wide eyed at one another- neither knowing what to say. For several minutes they stood there in shock, until the sound of customers growing agitated behind them brought them back to their senses. Still somewhat stunned, Zuko cleared his throat- having the grace to look nervous. Seeing the Prince at a loss for words was almost amusing to Katara- normally he'd be proudly crowing about his 'noble' quest to capture the Avatar and 'restore his honour'. Thankfully, Iroh soon appeared, wanting to know why his valued customers were being kept waiting out in the heat. When he spotted Katara, he too froze- but luckily the former General recovered quickly. Ever a picture of diplomacy and calm, he cleared his throat- and allowed his mouth to stretch into a smile.

"How wonderful to see you again." Iroh smiled warmly. "Please, come in."

Unsure of how to properly react, Katara followed Iroh as he continued walking into the shop- hiding how her nerves ratcheted up when Zuko also followed them. As she was led further into the shop, the waterbender fought the nerves building within her. She was growing increasingly confident of her abilities as a bender, and knew she could easily take on Zuko in a fight- but Iroh was an unknown entity in that regard. Katara had no way of knowing how to fight the former General, but something told her it wouldn't come to that. As they progressed towards the kitchen at the back, the waterbender looked at her surroundings. All around her, people were clustered around the numerous tables, chatting and laughing uproariously as they enjoyed copious amounts of sweet smelling tea and delicate foods. It was a comfortable, warm, and friendly atmosphere.

After a few moments, Katara was standing in the small kitchen with Iroh and Zuko- waiting as the former instructed the two timid employees to leave, in order for them to have privacy. Once they were alone in relative silence, Katara was the first to speak up, even though she was more scared than she'd ever let on.

"You really won't stop, will you?" she directed her words at Zuko.

"I'm not here for-" Zuko started.

"For what? Hunting us?" Katara kept her voice down.

She despised the fire nation prince with a vengeance, but even she knew she couldn't cause a ruckus. After all, she and the others were trying to keep a low profile during their search for Appa. Though it was difficult, Katara restrained herself from shouting at the top of her voice. Before she or Zuko could speak again, Iroh raised his hand slightly- indicating for the two younger rivals to be silent. Mindful of the growing queue outside the tea shop, the former General spoke calmly.

"We're not here for the Avatar." Iroh began. "I can assure you."

"You can't expect me to believe you." Katara folded her arms.

"I know my nephew has caused you and your friends a great deal of trouble." Iroh continued.

"You have no idea what we've been through." Katara seethed.

"You're right. I don't know what's brought you here." Iroh sighed. "But I can tell you why we are here."

"I'm listening." Katara gritted her teeth.

"We are trying to start a new life here." Iroh explained. "Away from...everything."

"Really?" Katara frowned. "You're just abandoning your 'quest'?"

"I'm not here to fight you." Zuko inferjected, looking upwards. "We're not."

"My nephew is telling the truth." Iroh noticed Katara's hesitation.

"Why do you need to start over? Why-" Katara's started.

"My sister." Zuko interrupted.

"Azula?" Katara remembered their confrontation with the bad tempered Princess.

"I failed. Our Father-" Zuko paused.

Katara was surprised at the emotion shining forth in Zuko's voice, evidenced by his hesitation to finish his sentence. It was clear that he was heavily affected by whatever Azula had done. Taking charge, Iroh began speaking for them both.

"The Firelord believes that we failed in our quest." Iroh shook his head. "In some ways, he was right."

"So he…sent Azula?" Katara surmised.

"He ordered her to bring us back." Zuko took a deep breath. "As prisoners."

Stunned by the depth of Ozai's cruelty in pitting his only two children against each other, Katara found herself unable to speak. She couldn't even begin to imagine how much it would hurt if she and Sokka fought to the extent that Zuko and Azula did.

"So you're…hiding?" Katara finally spoke up. "How do I know you won't come after us when she gives up?"

"Azula won't give up." Zuko sighed. "But I have. On…chasing you."

"I know you will have difficulty believing my nephew." Iroh interjected. "Why not stay awhile…and see for yourself?"

"See what?" Katara frowned.

"That I've changed." Zuko locked eyes with Katara.

"Forgive me if I don't-" Katara started.

"Please." Zuko interrupted.

The sincerity in Zuko's voice made Katara's heart skip a beat- forcing her to look at him properly. In the tense silence that followed Zuko's plea, she examined him carefully for the first time. In all the times they'd met, things had been to frantic for her to ever really look at him, or talk to him. It was the first time she'd truly seen Zuko, and Katara found herself stunned. Gone was the stern, traditional ponytail, now replaced by a full head of almost fluffy hair- left to grow without being tamed. All the tension in his shoulders was gone- allowing him to stand somewhat relaxed. His once regal clothing had been replaced by the shining green garments befitting of his new class…and his face. Well. In the warm sunlight, it seemed almost serene, without a single trace of anger on the firebender's face. Zuko almost looked like a different man entirely- and so Katara made her decision.

"Okay." she spoke simply. "I can give you a chance."

"Thank you!" Zuko immediately brightened. "Thank-"

"One chance." Katara interrupted, expression firm and unyielding. "If I think for even one second that you might try to hurt me, or Aang...I'll make you regret it."

"I…" Zuko took a deep breath.

A moment passed in tense silence as the firebender gathered his emotions, before he spoke up again.

"I understand."


End file.
